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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
i love magical realism, has to be my favorite genre
emotional
medium-paced
An interesting topic for a novel, but the magical parts just ruined it for me.
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5/5. When I was a teenager, I was really very into Maggie Stiefvaders Shiver series. Also, back then, I devoured The Scorpio Races, but I never got around to reading The Raven Cycle series.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when I saw The Listeners in the adult section at one of my favourite bookstores. I couldn’t wait to pick it up - and I’m glad I did.
The writing style is just as atmospheric and lovely as I remember from her other books, and I love that it’s steeped in realism (I never knew anything about this part of WWII), but has its own magical edge to it. The magical properties of the sweetwater were quite interesting to me, although I feel like it could’ve been elaborated on a bit more , for example when June went into the Avallon IV, there is no further explanation on what happens and why she is so drained, just a vague understanding . I liked June a lot, she’s a very practical person but also it’s shown very clearly why her staff trusts her so much. As for the other characters, I thought some were more likeable than others, which is probably not strange in a novel about war. The love story between Tucker and June I found a bit… lacking, I could see the attraction between them but I just didn’t fully understand their connection, I thought it went a little too quickly perhaps.
All in all, it’s a wonderful book and I cannot wait to read more from Ms. Stiefvater. Perhaps I should give The Raven Cycle a try.
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had very high hopes going into The Listeners because of how much I enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Boys series. Yet this book was just not up to the same standard. It was similar in many way, particularly in it containing magic that is somewhat abstract without really having a 'magic system', and that it is quite a character driven book where the reader's interest in the characters is what draws you in. I have no issues going with the flow when it comes to a magic system and so this didn't bother me, however the big difference between The Listeners and The Raven Boys is that the characters really just weren't as engaging. I feel like there was so much potential from all of them involved and yet it just fell a little flat for me. I think that Stiefvater should be commended for the amount of historical research that went into this book, and as usually she wrote in an entertaining way, however this just missed the mark.
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes